Ein snøstorm på prærien

Eg skal fortelja om den gongen eg nesten miste livet for kaffien si skuld. Det var snøvinteren i åttiåtte. Det var ein småhandlar som som budde tett attmed oss, og han hadde ikkje meir kaffi igjen. Me hadde te, men det dugde ikkje.

Så var det ein dag eg heldt på og stoka med noko ved i tunet. Så sa ho Eli at det var fint ver i dag. Då skjønte eg kva som stod på. Ho visste det var kaffi å få på Mayfield, tre og ei halv mil unna. Så heiv eg meg på ryggen på ein hest og sette i veg. Eg var kledd heilt vanleg; eg hadde ei kort skinnjakke og eit band rundt livet. Då eg kom opp på skuleområdet omtrent trekvart mil frå oss, såg eg ein kvit vegg framfor meg.Og då frykta eg at det var snøvêr i anmarsj. Eg snudde om og tok på heimvegen så fort eg kunne. Men det var så mykje snø at eg reid meg fast i snøen og måtte av og til av hesten. Og så vart det så tett snødrev at eg nesten ikkje såg handa føre meg, men eg tok retninga så godt eg kunne. Men eg skjønte det bar gale i veg, for hesten vende seg unna vinden. Då tenkte eg det var best eg å gje meg skjebnen i vald, for eg tenkte at om det var slik bestemt at eg skulle komma tilbake att, så kom eg nok fram. Det gjorde til at eg straks kom inn på eit beite. Det var berre ein einaste gjerdepåle om å gjera, elles hadde eg aldri sett dagsens lys igjen. Og grunnen var at hesten slo seg unna vêret, og så følgde eg gjerdet. Eg forstod det måtte vera Li sitt beiteland eller Munkvold sitt. Så fann eg løa, men eg kunne ikkje få hesten inn. Eg fekk gå varmen i meg, men det var verre med hesten. Eg prøvde to gonger å finna huset, men klarte det ikkje. Og då var vêret så fælt at eg måtte gå baklengs for å komma tilbake. Eg var redd for å ikkje finna att fjøset.

I neste omgang tenkte eg det var best å venta til dei kom opp for sjå om dyra, for eg tenkte dei sikkert ville komma. Då dei ikkje kom, tenkte eg at eg måtte prøva ein gong til for eg lika ikkje å missa hesten. Eg hadde nyss kjøpt han. Då eg klemde i veg att, var det nære på at eg hadde rulla over i ei snøfonn, og så fekk eg sjå husa; dei var ikkje lenger borte enn ein verada.

Då eg kom inn, spurde eg om eg kunne få nokon til å følgja med meg og få inn hesten. ’Trur du at me finn vegen til fjøset’, sa han Lars Li. Han hadde vore ute to gonger for å stella dyra, men han ville ikkje gå bort for alt som var i løa. Dei hadde to kyr som hadde kalva den natta. Og så spurde han meg om eg trudde eg kunne finna fjøset att. ’Ja, eg var så pass røynde,’ sa eg. Men då leit han meir på seg sjølv enn på meg, og han sette i veg. Me fann ikkje fjøset, men me kom bort til ein høystakk som stod borti tunet. Der stod det ei skyfle og me tok ut igjen og fann fjøset og fekk stelt dyra.

Språkleg omarbeidd av BB og NTØ

Nedskrive i 1930. Informant: Fødd i Oppdal 1851, immigrerte i 1873, slo seg ned i Irene, South Dakota, kort etter.
Trykt i Einar Haugen: The Norwegian Language in America, Vol. II, s. 552 - 555, Indiana University Press, 1969.

Publisert med løyve frå Indiana University Press, 6/3/2002.

A Snowstorm on the Prairie

I’ll tell you about the time I almost lost my life for the sake of some coffee. It was the snow winter of eighty-eight. There was a peddler who lived close by us, but he didn’t have any more coffee left. We had tea, but we weren’t much for that. Then one day I was busy with some wood in the yard. Then Eli said, ‘The weather isn’t too bad today.’ I realized then what was up. She knew there was coffee to be had at mayfield, three and a half miles away. Then I jumped on the back of a horse and started off. I was dressed just ordinary, - I had a short leather coat on, and then a band around my waist. When I got out on the school section about three quartres of a mile from us, I saw a white wall ahead. Then I suspected that a snowstorm was coming, and I turmed around and started in the direction of home as best I could.

But there was so much snow that I got stuck in the snow and had to get off and lead the horse. And it was so thick that I could hardy see my hand in front of me, and I took the direction as well as I could. But I realized I couldn’t, for the horse shied away from the wind. Then I thought it would be best to accept my fate, for I thought that if it was so determined that I should get back, I would get back. And that made it so that right away I found a pasture. It was just a question of a single post, or else I would never have seen daylight again. And the ransom was that the horse shied away from the wind; and then I followed the fence. I realized it must be the Lee pasture or Munkvold.

Then I found the stables, and I could get into the stables, but I couldn’t get the horse in. I got a chance to walk some body heat into myself, but it was worse for the horse. I tried twice to find the house, but couldn’t find it. The wearher was so terrific that I had to walk backwards to get back; I was afraid of losing the stables. Rhe second time I thought it was best to wait until they came up and did the chores, for I thought surely they would come. When they didn’t come, I thoubht I had to try once more, for I didn’t like to loose the horse; I had just bought him. When I started off again, I almost rolled over a snowbank, and then I caught sight of the houses; they weren’t farther away than over this porch.

When I got in, I asked if I could get someone to go with me and get the horse in. ‘Do you think we can find our way to the stable,’ said Hans lee. He had been out twice trying to do the chores, but he wouldn’t go up threre for all that was in the barn. They had two cows that had just calved that night. And then he asked me if I thought I could find the stable again. ‘Sure, I’ve had plenty of practice,’ I said. But then he relied more on himself than on me, and so he started off. We missed the stable, and got to a haystack up in the yard. There stood a shovel, and so we started off anew, and found the stables and did the chores.

Taken down by the writer in 1930. Informant: Born in Oppdal 1851, this man immigrated in 1873, and homesteaded near Irene, South Dakota, shortly afterwards.

Printed in Einar Haugen: The Norwegian Language in America, Vol. II, p. 552 - 555, Indiana University Press, 1969.

Published with the permission of Indiana University Press, 6/3/2002.